UWC and TFG Unite to Address Period Poverty and Uphold Dignity
Too many girls are bleeding and need help, yet few are willing to acknowledge the P-word. Through various initiatives such as the #UdubsCares campaign and corporate partnerships, the University of the Western Cape (UWC) is committed to addressing the scourge of period poverty.
On Friday, The FIX—a fashion retail brand of the TFG Group—joined the institution in its mission to ensure that students have access to menstruation products. The company donated thousands of pads to the university and gifted 300 tote bags made from recycled window banners, which will be used to create dignity packages.
UWC theology student and activist Zaylia Vivienne addressed all stakeholders who gathered in the Life Sciences building to hand over the donations officially. She explained that period poverty and gender-based violence are linked.
“The first thing that I remember about pads is hiding them at school because we were shy. It was embarrassing. It’s something that we should have been taught to embrace.
But it is used to oppress women. It’s used as a medium for men to say that women aren’t clean and to punish them for that. And then just creating an environment in which women feel unsafe. That is just one of the things that period poverty does,” said Vivienne.
She has first-hand knowledge about the struggles students face when they do not have access to menstruation products or proper sanitation. It has a dramatic effect on their academic journey.
She said the work done by the university and The FIX will help restore dignity among students and erase the “stigma that has unfairly been placed on women and their bodies”.
Vivienne became an activist after her friend and fellow theology student, Jesse Hess, was murdered in 2019.
“I truly hope that in the future we can continue to maintain this environment and speak more freely about the big word, the P-word, periods….We should just say, I’m bleeding, I need help. And there’s no shame in that.”
Pearl Msweli, senior brand manager for The FIX, explained that the company is actively involved in several social investment campaigns under the Do What’s Right umbrella. From April to June, they drive awareness about gender-based violence, and this year, they also focused on period poverty.
According to Dr Manoj Bagwandeen, director of the UWC Campus Health & Wellness Centre, TFG has fostered a strong relationship with UWC over the years by, for example, offering several bursaries to students.
“This Youth Month, TFG has once again stepped up to the plate by supporting our students by donating these sanitary pads and dignity packages. It is no secret that many students at UWC do not have access to the bare necessities. While UWC is a caring and supportive university, and units such as the Student Development and Support Office and the Student Representative Council do all they can to fill these gaps, it is not enough. This is where collaboration with organisations such as TFG becomes vital,” he said.
Dr Bagwandeen lauded TFG for its continuous investment in social empowerment initiatives: “It bears testament to the fact that if we all work together with a constructive, clear vision, we can do so much more.”